Teen parents pass big test

Born in December with the heart condition Tetralogy of Fallot, Hamrick’s baby Shealeigh had to stay at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte for a month.

"I was trying to deal with life and exams but all I worried about was if my baby was OK," the 19-year-old Hamrick said. “It was a lot harder than I expected.”

Shealeigh had multiple surgeries and will have to have more between the age of 6 months to 6 years old. The baby also has a special feeding pump because of the heart condition.

Every day, the Burns High senior drove to Charlotte to see her baby.

While Hamrick was caring for Shealeigh she was still able to continue her studies with the help of the Communities in Schools program. The program connects students and their families with businesses, churches and other community resources in order to keep them in school.

“We don’t glamorize the situation,” said Jackie Woody, Teen Parent Educator for Burns and Kings Mountain high schools. “We want to show these girls that life isn’t over just because they are in this situation.”

Communities in Schools was formed 11 years ago to help keep teen parents from dropping out of school.

“So many students think they have to drop out to take care of their children,” Woody said. “We help them find day cares and keep them in school so they can graduate and go to college.”

Students are teamed with graduation coaches to help them successfully graduate, Woody said.

“Some students may come to us and think they are pregnant but aren’t,” Woody said. “We will work with them to help solve any behavior problems to eliminate those risk factors.”

Last Friday, Communities in Schools held a Teen Parent Graduation to celebrate. Thirty teen parents will be graduating from Burns, Shelby, Kings Mountain and Crest high schools and continuing to college in June.

Hamrick is one of them. She plans to attend Gardner-Webb University to study physical therapy.

“I’ve had a lot of support through this program,” Hamrick said. “I’m going to graduate with my master's degree in physical therapy, so I can help other children who were born like Shealeigh.”

Reach Jessica Pickens at 704-669-3332 or jpickens@shelbystar.com . Follow on Twitter at @StarJPickens.